


Coq au Vin

by Anonymous_Ostrich



Category: Free!
Genre: Domestic Fluff, M/M, Nagisa failing at cooking
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-20
Updated: 2015-01-20
Packaged: 2018-03-08 10:22:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,031
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3205748
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Anonymous_Ostrich/pseuds/Anonymous_Ostrich
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>From the kitchen came a variety of noises and the distinct smell of smoke. As if on cue, a wide-eyed blonde head poked out into the hall, regarding Rei in surprise. Nagisa looked paler than usual, - wait, no, that was flour coating his face - and despite his clear astonishment he flashed a bubbly smile.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Coq au Vin

**Author's Note:**

> A prompt from tumblr user digitalalchemist. I love me some domestic Reigisa~

When Rei opened the door, a smell he'd never known before hit him like a wall, nearly forcing him to take a step back to collect himself. It wasn't a _bad_ smell per se, more like the strong smell of many different foods combined with a pungent burning that hung thick in the air like a fog.

This was not good.

Steeling himself for what he was assuredly about to deal with, Rei stepped inside the apartment and hung up his jacket, letting out a long sigh. From the kitchen came a variety of noises and the distinct smell of smoke. As if on cue, a wide-eyed blonde head poked out into the hall, regarding Rei in surprise. Nagisa looked paler than usual, - wait, no, that was flour coating his face - and despite his clear astonishment he flashed a bubbly smile.

"Rei-chan! You're home really early?" His greeting came off as more of a question. Rei perked a brow at him while loosening his tie.

"I'm going in early tomorrow, and since work was done for the day, they let me go a little early today," Rei said. As if to make matters more suspicious, a thin trail of smoke began pouring from the kitchen door, pooling on the ceiling. Nagisa pretended not to notice. Rei felt his brow furrow. "How has _your_ day been, Nagisa-kun?" he asked accusingly.

"Ah, mine? It's been, good, good… Really good..." Something behind him in the kitchen sounded close to boiling over, and with a yipe Nagisa dashed back into the kitchen. After another deep sigh, Rei made his way to the kitchen after him to see what could be salvaged.

As predicted, the kitchen was a mess. Nagisa was carefully removing a pot from a burner, setting it aside as its contents bubbled and frothed. Rei grabbed an oven mitt from the counter and proceeded to help, picking up a small saucepan that seemed to be the main source of the strong burning smell. Nagisa wiped his brow on the back of his sleeve and turned to Rei with a pitiful expression.

"It was going to be a surprise for when you came home..." he said dejectedly, staring at the floor. "I was going to have everything cleaned up when you came back."

Seeing Nagisa so down, Rei couldn't help but smile, putting a hand on Nagisa's head and gently ruffling his hair. A white puff of flour released from the blonde locks, making Rei chuckle.

"There's an awful lot of smoke this time. What were you trying to _make_ , exactly?"

Nagisa laughed awkwardly and scratched the back of his head. " _Coq au Vin_ ," he sighed. "Probably not a good choice for a beginner, huh..."

Rei very nearly laughed again. _Coq au Vin_ was a complicated French dish he'd once pointed out to Nagisa in a magazine if only to show him how beautiful it was. Not even at _his_ skill level - which was admittedly passable but nothing grand - would he think about making it without some help.

"That's a lot of work for one person, Nagisa-kun," Rei pointed out, checking the oven to make sure its contents weren't also burning. Thankfully, it seemed to be the only thing in the kitchen that was doing alright on its own. "You should have waited for me to get home, or made something less complicated."

Nagisa was wringing his hands together, something Rei didn't often see, and he suddenly felt as if he'd accidentally offended him without meaning to.

"I wanted to do something special for Rei-chan, so it had to be on my own or else it wouldn't count," Nagisa reasoned, avoiding Rei's eyes. It was rare to see Nagisa acting so bashfully, and Rei realized that this dinner meant a lot to him. "But you're right, it did get to be a bit too much... Sorry for the mess."

Rei tossed the oven mitts on the counter and scooped Nagisa into a hug. Surprised by the suddenness of it but happy to oblige, Nagisa nestled his face into Rei's chest. His voice was adorably muffled.

"Rei-choon?"

"Don't apologize," Rei said, smiling into Nagisa's hair. It smelled rather strongly of smoke, but that only made Rei's fondness grow. "I'm happy that you wanted to try something so daunting just to surprise me. That took a lot of courage."

Nagisa giggled, pulling away enough to look up at the other. "Honestly I didn't think too much about it, I just thought Rei-chan would like it. It wasn't until later that I realized I might have been in over my head..."

As Nagisa spoke, Rei impulsively wiped his flour-dusted cheeks on his sleeve, cleaning him off. Pressing a kiss to Nagisa's forehead, Rei smiled. "Since I'm home early, why don't we finish it together?"

"Wa- wahh?" Nagisa looked around pointedly at the mess surrounding them. "I'm not sure it can be saved at this point…"

"If we're both cooking, I'm sure we can turn it around. It may not turn out brilliantly, but I'm sure it will be edible, at least." He combed a hand lovingly through Nagisa's hair. " At any rate, thank you for the surprise. Even if it didn't go exactly as planned, I'm grateful."

Nagisa smiled up at Rei, his face rosy. Grabbing the collar of Rei's shirt in his fists he yanked him down to meet his lips, kissing him firmly but sweetly. Rei did nothing to resist, his hands traveling down to grab hold of Nagisa's slim hips, pulling them flush with his own.

The oven behind them made an impatient sound, reminding the men that food was indeed still cooking. Nagisa pulled away only slightly, his breath hot over Rei's lips.

"The _real_ surprise was going to come _after_ dinner anyway," he said teasingly, flashing Rei an endearingly boyish smile. For added assurance, he rubbed his hips lightly against Rei's, deliberately causing a sweet friction between their bodies. Rei felt his face and neck redden.

"...All the more reason to finish cooking dinner quickly, then." Rei said with the resolve of a man on a mission, hurriedly grabbing up the oven mitts and getting to work. Delightedly, Nagisa followed after him.


End file.
